What do you want to do when you grow up?

Wouldn't it be amazing to work around flowers all day?

That sounds seriously lovely!

Just a thought

Angel, be here with me as I learn to care for my soul...
May I take notice of all things beautiful
May I see the spirit in everyday things
May I honor my feelings
May I nuture and care for myself
May I honor the promptings of my heart
And speak my truth.
May I understand the workings of my body
and embrace the miracle of life.
May I feed my soul all it needs in order to reside in me peacefully
May I have the courage to listen to my heart
And embrace what it is saying to me
Surround me with your infinate love and help me to know
All is well.

Milestones

Every once in awhile, I realize how many milestones I have passed. I don't have to worry about the kids immunizations any more, everybody sleeps through the night, Everyone is potty trained, they feed themselves, cut up their own meat, put on their own shoes and dress themselves (although lately Jacob seems to go out of his way to wear mix matched clothes. It's driving me crazy)!

But when school started this fall, I realized just how grown up my family really was.

Elementary School, Check

Jr. High, Done

High School, Just one left!

In the next year, we will have three that have graduated from College, and four grandkids!

I cherish the time that I spent raising my family.  Truly it is the most rewarding work I have ever done.  But I have to be honest. Being beyond teething and chicken pox has it's advantages!

UGGGGG!

After viewing my recent pictures,

 clearly it's time to get back on the scale and lose weight

AGAIN!

I swore I would never get fat again- and well, pictures don't lie!

Time to dig out my running shoes and start counting calories.

Party on!!!

Workin' in Tucson, Arizona

This year, AlphaGraphics held their annual conference in Tucson, Arizona.  It is where they originally had their headquarters and since it's their 40th anniversary, they returned to their hometown.  The conference was impressive and it was validating.  I felt good about my work as I saw the kind of support I talk to independent printers about in full force.  It was held at a beautiful resort and Abbie joined me, which was unbelievably awesome!

This is a real picture I took of flowers against the hotel wall

-so pretty!

My beautiful daughter

Abbie and Sandy eating like bunnies!

Stunning center pieces at the awards dinner.

Gone to a better place-

Sammy has gone to a better place!

No, he hasn't died, but he has been adopted by a very nice woman named Kathy who was looking for a companion for her Toy poodle named Fancy.  Kathy loves dogs, has a doggie door and doesn't mind barking.  She asked Sammy if he'd like to sleep on her bed- seriously!  He is going to LOVE it there.  She has a groomer that can keep him all trimmed up and neat and she said he is going to get lots and lots of attention. What a great place for Sammy to spend his golden years.

I am LOVING not having any dogs at the house.  I have finally found some peace in my life and I needed it desperately. Here is a short list of things I absolutely DO NOT miss!

Endless Whining-

Made me swear, ("Shut the hell up!")

Barking-

I've been tempted to file a police complaint on us!

Scratching on the doors-

 That's going to cost a fortune to fix

Pee on the carpet-

 Clean up crew scheduled for next week.

Throw up in the house-

Sick!

Begging for food-

So,so annoying.

Calls from strangers that have the dogs-

 Why don't people mind their own business?

The smell of animals in the house-

Icky!

Empty water and food bowls needing to be filled-

 Oh, am I in charge of that?

Dogs laying on clean clothes-

UGH!

Poop in the yard-

Love it.

Dog breath!

Guilt for leaving dogs locked up all the time-

(I am human)

Garbage cans up front-

unsightly

Locked gates-

 so inconvenient

Dog hair everywhere-

Gross

Torn up lawn-

 More costly repairs

Whoops! Did I say short list?  Can't help it. It is so nice to have the animals out of my life!

Sammy: May you live a long and happy life in your new home.  Thanks for the memories!

We're new members of the club

Just finished season one! We're fans!

29 years and holding...

     At 7:45 a.m., 29 years ago, Nathan and I were married by Neil A. Maxwell in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful summer morning and we were surrounded by family and friends.  We had a wedding breakfast at the University of Utah where our siblings sang a song and all in attendance wrote some advice on a plain recipie card.  That evening, we had a reception in the cultural hall of a ward building.  It was fairly common at the time.  There were doves and a temple background.  And we had snowballs for desert (Vanilla ice-cream with coconut and hot fudge). We stayed at the Little America our first night and then went to Park City for a couple of days... and thus began our jouney as husband and wife.
     So obviously, there is too much to really cover- my two readers would bore quickly. So here's a quick list of my highlights:

1. Welcoming 5 kids to our little tribe.  Each a blessing beyond words.
2. Purchasing a home and remodeling it. It was so super fun.
3. Owning a boat and spending endless hours with our family in the warm sun. Some of our very best memories were formed floating!
4. Lots of date nights.
5. Watching movies together.
6. Traveling together, all time favorite: France.  Also, fall leaf trips back East with Dallis and Carolyn and New York at Christmas time.
7. Learning to Scuba together.
8. Buying art together.
9. Watching our family grow.
10. Becoming grandparents together.

Next year will be the big 30. 
 I hope for many more happy things to add to my list!

Year to year contracts

What if our marriages were contracts that we had to renew annually.  I wonder if it would make a difference in how we treated each other- especially a few weeks before the day of expiration. I've been thinking about that lately.  How much time would I spend thinking about weather or not I was up for another year with Nathan, and yikes-  how much time I would spend worrying about him deciding if he had any interest in another year with me! 

In some ways, it could be a good thing. 

Here are some things I would have to improve:

1. Keep my side of the room cleaner

2. Cook more

3. Give longer back scratches

4. Get in better shape

5. Watch more movies

6. Spend more money at Victoria's Secret

7. Use my purchases more frequently

9. Never let my phone die or leave it at home

9. Be nicer to the dogs and agree to a cat

10. Discontinue all complaining and nagging!

Some things Nathan may consider:

Just kidding! I'm married to an almost perfect person! 

My dream home...

I love this little house.  It's so neat and tidy-

I think I might stand a chance at keeping it that way!

Thanks for making me- (although I seriously would have enjoyed longer legs!)

I am very blessed to have the best parents

 in the whole wide world.

Married at 19 and parents by 20, my parents were on their own with very little support right from the start.  Niether of them had much of a role model to follow.  In fact both came from rather disfuntional homes.  And yet, they have been the most amazing parents to their six children.  I, being the oldest had the benifit of their youth.  They were young, active parents that had full lives.  They were loving, kind, loyal, brave, hard working, spontanious, supportive, faithful, active, fun parents that embrassed family life in full.  They taught us to be the best that we could be.  To strive for excellence and to serve others every chance we could. I am thankful that I have had the benifit of their example for the past 49 years and hope that there are many, many more years to come!

I love you mom & dad!

I'm easy to please!

After finishing up three days of Franchise Development Meetings,

I was able to enjoy my birthday with my favorite people-

My family!  (minus Abbie and Mark, who I missed.) 

My little tribe, along with a few dear friends made my

 34th birthday very special! Thank you all!

A first for me

I just saw my first foreign film with subtitles and everything.  It was the Acadamy Award winner for foreign films in 2008.  I actually really liked it!  It's about a man who finds himself falling into the profession as an encoffiner.  He plays the cello and comes from a broken family.  If you want to see how that all works as a story line, you'll have to watch it yourself!

Quite possibly the most perfect movie ever made-

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have watched this movie.

I would be rich!  I think that it is quite possibly the

most perfect movie ever made.  Fortunatly, Nathan loves it

too so we watch it over & over again.  Here are my three

 favorite scenes which I belive are absolutely masterful.

The scene where Lizzie and Darcy are dancing in the ballroom

and then...all at once... it is them, dancing alone in the room.

Soooo romantic.

The scene where Lizzie is on the swing and as she twirls

the seasons are changing. It's the most artful passing of time ever!

Then of course everyone's favorite, the scene where they walk

across the field to declare their love for each other. Yum.

I love a man in a long coat and boots- who stutters!

You know what stresses me out?

Commercials for the i Pad. I'd like to believe that I'm somewhat keeping up with technology, but the iPad commercials are blatent reminders that I am quickly losing my grip on the tools of the times.  And that stresses me out.  Like I literally start getting little anxiety symptoms and start fearing that I will be left behind to communicate with only my grandmother who calls cell phones "celery phones".  How will I keep in touch with my children and grandchildren when everyone has moved on and is embracing the latest and greatest and I am still struggling with texting. (I can text- I'm just super slow at it). I almost can't stand it.  It's too much, too fast. Sometimes I want to yell at the world

 "Slow down, you're movin' to fast!  

Whitney's bad influence

Whitney keeps getting us addicted to all these dramas!

She calls them "guilty pleasures".

We've watched season one and two of army wives

and when we were sick last week, she snuck in and

 left us season three which we watched from start to finish in

one weekend! (I'm slightly embarassed.)

So now we are ready for season four-

Oh, I hope Joan didn't really die...?

Back in the olden days...

There was a time when I had to deal with the casualties of the flu without an in-house washer and dryer.  So heres how it works... You just start throwing stuff out the front door.  And I'm not kidding.  Blankets, rugs, sheets, towels, jammies, etc.  And then, when you felt strong enough-(a day or two later, you would load up the kids and quarters and the soap and dryer sheets (were there dryer sheets back then?) and off too the laundry you'd go.  Dealing with "day old" you know what!

To take it a step further...

This is what some of our fore-mothers had to do... disgusting!

At least I had acsess to the laundrymat!

And while we're on the subject...  Here is what I am lusting for. 

Aren't they dreamy?

 

YEW!

YEWWWW!  We have the flu!

What hurts:  Everything, Knees, hips, head, knuckles, you name it... it hurts!

What helps: Nothing

Who has it: Me, Nathan, Jake, Curtis, Halle & Whitney

When Whitney called in to check on us, Nathan willed her all our

 money.  (In the event that we don't "make it")

Then he told her where he keeps his fortune.

(On the shelf above the t.v.)

I'm sure she'll split it 5 ways.  That should give each child about

 $1.23. (I already scored all the quarters.)

I hope tomorrow is a better day:(

DREAD!

On the way to work today I heard that this weekend is the dreaded weekend of the year. The ending of daylight savings time.  UGH!!! That's the worst!  And even worst than worst- there's no one to blame.  I want to point my fingure and be mad at somebody but who?  It's not the government.  Not mother earth.  Not the kids or Nathan (who is usually the one I blame for all the un-blameables). 

 Litterally there is no one I can scowel at.

 That's why it's the worst! 

Notice from the legal department

I, Tracie Drage, am entitlled to use any and all images captured on my camera, in my home, of my grandchildren, on my blog. 

I, the above mentioned, respect the fact that William B. Drage's and Halle A. McBride's parents blog and will do my best not to duplicate their efforts in order to protect the world wide web from being overwhelmed with adorableness.

Any persons reading this post who have a problem with the policies laid out, are urged to contact Ms. Drage's legal counsel who she keeps on retainer. 

(Please don't ask how Ms. Drage pays counsel)